Best of the Adirondacks 2014

Adirondack Life readers’ choice awards

Blue Moon Cafe, in Saranac Lake, was singled out for Best Breakfast. Photograph by Laura Carbone

When you want to know where to go, what to do, what to eat or drink or buy in the Adirondack Park, it helps to get recommendations from a friend—even better, thousands of them. We asked our readers to vote for their favorite bakery, boatbuilder, campground, cocktail, golf course, outﬁtter, resort, and the list goes on. The following are their picks for the best in the Blue Line.

★ FOOD & DRINK ★

Burger
Turtle Island Café
3790 Main Street, Willsboro
(518) 963-7417. www.turtleislandcafe.com
The All-American Cheeseburger at this Champlain Valley mainstay is made from locally sourced beef, Cabot cheddar and your choice of toppings, all stacked on a sourdough roll baked on the premises.
Runner-up: The Tavern, Eagle Bay

Sandwich
Simply Gourmet/Big Mountain Deli and Crêperie
1983 Saranac Avenue/2475 Main Street, Lake Placid
(518) 523-3111/3222. www.simplygourmetlakeplacid.com
Put on your thinking cap when you enter these popular delis—not only will you have to decide which of 46 sandwiches (one for each of the High Peaks) to order, you’ll have your choice of fresh-baked breads, including gluten-free options.
Runner-up: Lakeview Deli, Saranac Lake

Breakfast
Blue Moon Cafe
55 Main Street, Saranac Lake
(518) 891-1310. www.bluemooncafe-adk.com
It’s not often you find a neighborhood spot with a spread like Blue Moon’s: start with a mug of small-batch roasted coffee, then choose from specialties such as the house-cured smoked salmon plate, the Irish scramble with corned beef and cafe taters, or a “Tupper” (tall) stack of pancakes.
Runner-up: Chair 6, Lake Placid

Fine Dining
Café Adirondack
8015 Route 9, Pottersville
(518) 494-5800. www.cafeadirondack.com
Not Adirondack but “coastal Southern”
cuisine is the specialty of this restaurant. The owners, transplants from Myrtle Beach, serve up generous portions of steak and seafood, including what may be the only she-crab soup within the Blue Line. Be sure to make reservations, especially on summer weekends.
Runner-up: The Owl at Twilight, Olmsted­ville

Ice Cream
Donnelly’s Ice Cream
1556 Route 86, Saranac Lake
One voter commented, “Really, you have to ask?” True, it wasn’t surprising that this summer hot spot was the runaway winner. Though the cows are long gone from this former dairy farm, whatever the folks at Donnelly’s are doing to make their soft-serve—just one flavor per day, twisted with vanilla—so delicious is working.
Runner-up: Stewart’s Shops, multiple locations

Bakery
Tie:
Café Sarah
260 Main Street, North Creek
(518) 251-5959. www.cafesarahnorthcreek.com
Cake Placid
2051 Saranac Avenue, Lake Placid
(518) 523-9866. www.cakeplacid.com
As this split decision goes to show, when it comes to sweets, one is never enough. You’ll have just as hard a time choosing from the dizzying array of delights at either bakery. At Café Sarah, will it be fluffy coconut macaroons or buttery blueberry scones, crisp biscotti studded with hazelnuts or strawberry-rhubarb pie? And at Cake Placid, 50 varieties of cupcakes, from salted caramel to mint chocolate chip, are just the beginning.
Runner-up: Dogwood Bread Company, Wadhams

Beer
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery
813 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid
(518) 523-3813. www.ubuale.com
These are exciting times on the Adirondack craft beer scene, with upstarts opening all over the park in the last year (including the runner-up in this category). But so far, none matches the popularity of Chris Ericson’s signature brews at Lake Placid Pub & Brewery—especially Ubu, an English-style strong ale named for a patron’s dog.
Runner-up: Paradox Brewery, Schroon Lake

Music Venue
Seagle Music Colony
999 Charley Hill Road, Schroon Lake
(518) 532-7875. www.seaglecolony.org
Since the 1920s this cluster of studios, dorms and a performance space up on Charley Hill has been an extraordinary teaching center for opera and musical theater. Seagle offers six shows and dozens of performances every summer, including the popular Sunday Vespers concerts.
Runner-up: The Waterhole, Saranac Lake

Tourist Attraction
The Wild Center
45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake
(518) 359-7800. www.wildcenter.org
Some voters wrote in variations of “the whole Adirondack Park” or “the woods and waters” in this category. Point taken. But before or after you explore these six million acres, a visit to this world-class natural history museum is a must for all ages. State-of-the-art ex­hibits, animal encounters and interpretive trails teach about the Adirondack environment in a compelling way.
Runner-up: Whiteface Mountain, Wilmington

Cinema
Palace Theater
2430 Main Street, Lake Placid
(518) 523-9271
The small, independent theaters of the Adirondack Park are community treasures, which is why fundraising efforts to help them make necessary digital upgrades have been largely successful. At the Palace, where the goal has been nearly met, you can still enjoy a blockbuster plus popcorn or candy for under $10.
Runner-up: The Strand, Old Forge

Museum
The Adirondack Museum
Routes 28N & 30, Blue Mountain Lake
(518) 352-7311. www.adkmuseum.org
If it’s an important piece of the Adirondack story, you’ll find it at the venerable Adirondack Museum. Check out hermit Noah John Rondeau’s cabin, transplanted from “Cold River City”; amble through an opulent Great Camp–era Pullman car; or see a craftsperson build a guideboat. The grounds, with views of Blue Mountain Lake, are worth a visit in themselves.
Runner-up: The Wild Center, Tupper Lake

Ski Center
Whiteface Mountain
5021 Route 86, Wilmington
(518) 946-2223. www.whiteface.com
The highest ski mountain in the East is also tops with our voters, though fellow Olym­pic Regional Development Authority–run Gore was close behind. With 87 trails—a third of which are expert-level—11 lifts, terrain parks, kids’ campus and natural glades, there’s room for everyone.
Runner-up: Gore Mountain, North Creek

★ SHOPPING ★

Antiques
Upscale Resale Vintage Furnishings
24 Broadway, Saranac Lake
(518) 891-4979
You never know what you’ll find in this packed-to-the-gills emporium run by Den­ny Ford. What the store lacks in organization it more than makes up for in variety and the thrill of the hunt. Patient and savvy seekers can unearth treasures for a steal.
Runner-up: Miller Art & Frame, Warrensburg

Rustic/Adirondackana Store
Hoss’s Country Corner
1142 Main Street, Long Lake
(518) 624-2481. www.hossscountrycorner.com
General store only begins to describe this landmark opened by John and Lorrie Hosley 40 years ago. The store’s books, baskets, blankets, moccasins, camping gear, toys, food, handcrafted gifts and music all pay homage to the Adirondack Park.
Runner-up: Dartbrook Rustic Goods, Keene

Campground
Fish Creek Pond
4523 Route 30, Saranac Lake
(518) 891-4560. www.dec.ny.gov
A lot of folks answered this one with some version of “I’ll never tell.” But the majority pointed to the obvious, the most visited campground in the park. The place draws more than 100,000 guests a year, so you’ll probably get to know your neighbors—but since almost every site hugs the shore, you’re pretty much guaranteed a waterfront spread for only $22 a night.
Runner-up: Buck Pond, Onchiota

Cottages
Covewood Lodge
120 Covewood Lodge Drive, Eagle Bay
(315) 357-3041. www.covewoodlodge.com
When was the last time you stayed at a place that has a rumpus room? Or one that proudly proclaims no cell phone reception or TV? Covewood’s timeless appeal means that families—see the Lodging for Families category—return for a week or two to the log-sided housekeeping cabins every summer, generation after generation.
Runner-up: The Waldheim, Big Moose Lake